Scientia
by Thunderhowl
Summary: First fic, a drabble series inspired but wildskysong's Unopened Doors. Ten things you never knew about the Inheritance characters, in list format. Back, after a loooooong hiatus! Enjoy!
1. Eragon

**Uh, hi!! I'm Thunderhowl, and I've been around for a while, but I never got an account... and then I read some really good fanfiction by wildskysong, my freakin' hero, and I decided to try my hand.... So this li'l plot bunny made itself known while I was reading Unopened Doors (go read it know, it's amazing) and I decided to jot it down... eh. Then i got WSS to read it over and she convinced me to post it, so it is with some trepidation that I posted this...**

**It's basically a drabble fic detailing ten things that never happened, or have yet to happen, to the characters. There's a really good one in the HP fandom, but I can't remember what its callled... but I digress. It's like the FTTNH idea, but shorter and more specific. The first one is Eragon.**

**Please R&R!**

**Dedicated to wildskysong, who can put up with an amatuer like me...**

**Disclaimer- I own nothing. Duh.**

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Ten Things You Never Knew

Eragon

10. Sometimes, he secretly wishes that Saphira chose someone else as her Rider, someone smarter, stronger, and braver, someone who can handle the sight of slaughtered children without weeping like a baby.

Every time he thinks this, she knocks him to the ground and tells him that there is no one in Alagaesia she would have chosen, and the dark thoughts go away, if only for a little while.

9. When Saphira hatched for him and he held her in his arms, he swore that nothing could be more perfect.

But now, as he cradles his newborn daughter, he isn't so sure.

8. The first time Arya rejected him, he cried.

The second time, he resolved.

And the third time, he made her change her mind. They were married two months later.

7. As he gazes down at Galbatorix's broken, defeated body, he feels the smallest twinge of doubt, and wonders if he did the right thing.

6. When the King offered him power, he looked back once and saw his family, his brother, cousin, and pregnant love, and he smiled at the King and refused.

He never regretted that decision, not even when his blood splattered the ground and Galbatorix tried to force the words from his torn, bleeding lips.

5. The day the Varden marched on Uru' baen, Arya gave him a quick kiss and ran off, an "I love you" still on her lips.

He forever regrets not telling her that he loves her too.

4. As he raises Brisingr high over his head, preparing to strike down his enemy, he remembers being a child, playing with the other village boys, and he hesitates.

Where monsters children once too?

3. With shaking hands, he closes Brom's eyes for the last time, mourning his first protector.

There is a small part of him that wants to cry "Father, don't leave me." He pushes it aside, because Brom can't be his father, and he is too old for fairytales.

2. He stands at the prow of his ship, full of nostalgia, missing his Alagaesia, and for the fifth time curses himself for walking into Angela's shop that day and having his fortune read.

Deep down, he wonders if it would have made a difference if he had walked away.

1. On the day that his cousin died, he cursed the gods. He wasn't ready to lose Roran, and cursed the gods again for making his cousin mortal.

On the day his brother died, he stood stock still and wept, because he wasn't ready to lead the Riders all by himself, and he missed Murtagh's advice.

On the day his wife died, he yelled at the sky and tore down the forest with magic, because he could have saved her, protected her, and damn it all, he _wasn't ready_.

On the day he died, he looked Death in the face and smiled. "I'm ready." He said, and walked with Death to his home.

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**Um, tada? Should I be proud or should I go die in a hole? Pleaze review, suggestions are much welcome!!!**


	2. Murtagh

**Ok, so here is drabble 2!! I want to thank everyone who took the time to review!! You guys are all so great... I mean, seriously, thanks. Reviews make me happy. Go read!!!**

**Disclaimer- I own nothing but a computer and an internet connection.**

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Ten Things You Never Knew

Murtagh

10. He always hated walking past a mirror, because when he looked he saw his father's face.

9. When he first met Eragon, he had the overwhelming urge to run forward and cradle him protectively, even though they had never met.

He never could figure out why.

8. He used to dream that he would become a Dragon Rider and bring peace back to the Empire. It seemed like such a glorious thing to him, fighting to free the world when his father fought to enslave it.

Later he learns that dreams are for children, and he has to grow up some time.

7. After the Battle of Farthen Dur, he pretends to be sympathetic to Eragon's injury.

In reality, he is glad someone else shares his burden.

6. As he faces down the ancient Rider Oromis, he feels a surge of regret for what he must do, because Eragon has already lost enough and he hates playing the monster.

5. He puts on a mask during the day, acting the part of the cold, indifferent killer. It is better that way. It makes him look strong.

But at night the mask slips, and he is left alone with pain and fear and all sorts of bad thoughts, with only a lonely dragon to comfort him.

4. After the war, he imagines himself settling down somewhere farr away, perhaps in the Beors, living out his days with Thorn as his sole company.

As he observes his dragon with Saphira, he mentally sighs and knows that he'll spend the rest of his days chasing after younglings.

3. Sometimes he desperately wants his brother to hate him. Perhaps then it wouldn't hurt so much.

2. As Oromis and his dragon plummet to the ground below, he dryly observes that he has watched two of Eragon's surrogate fathers die, and he wonders how many more precious people he will have to tear from his brother.

1. He always knew he would die protecting Eragon, because that is the older brother's job. What he didn't expect was to awake the day after the final battle, tired, scarred, and alive. Eragon was there, asleep with his Saphira, and Thorn was curled up behind him. For the first time in many months, the son of Morzan allowed himself hope, and a smile.

He was free.

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**All done? Whaddya think? Like it, hate it? Please tell me!!! I crave your feedback...**

**R&R!!**

**Scientia is Latin for knowledge, by the way.**


	3. Saphira

**Eh, hi again! I apologize for the long wait! My AP classes are catching up with me, dammit, and I've had a stressed out couple of weeks. But, here I am now, with a new drabbly- thing!!**

**Okay, so, I want to thank the following folks:**

**Gleadr'sEldunari: You like to say 'awesomesauce', don't you? Thanks!**

**Sup3101: Thanks, and number 9 takes place after Brom is stabbed by the Ra' zac, and prior to that meeting, the two brothers never met each other. Is that clearer?**

**Canadian- Girl14: I'm glad you liked it! Murtagh is my favorite, and I had fun writing about him. Thorn is next, I think, so we'll see how this goes!**

**Wildskysong: Hey, thanks, chica, and I've already PMed you, so.... heh....**

**Edoc'sil Shadeslayer: Next is.... Saphira! Woohoo!**

**Disclaimer: I own a computer, an Internet connection, and a rather twisted mind, not Inheritance. **

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Ten Things You Never Knew

Saphira

10. The moment Eragon touched her egg, she awoke from a century- long sleep and was instantly irritated, because it would take _days_ to break through the tough shell.

9. She always knew that Brom was Eragon's father, even before he told her.

They shared the same scent, and the same fire, and a dragon notices these things.

8. Glaedr's rejection hurt her more than she was ever willing to admit, and she vowed to never lose control of herself like that again.

And then she met Thorn, and resolved to never make such foolish vows again.

7. She has always felt like a mother, even when the future of dragonkind seemed bleak and without hope.

Centuries later, surrounded by her kin, the feeling never fades.

6. When the final battle came, she looked into the eyes of Shruikan, her enemy, and found that she could not kill him.

He still has a hatchling's eyes, and she could not bear to extinguish them.

5. When she first saw Arya, she knew that her Eragon would love her, and sighed, because humans (and elves) were always so messy in their relationships, and she knew she would spend several long nights listening to Eragon describing Arya's hair and swooning over the sound of her voice.

Several months later, her predication can true and she was tempted to hit her Rider over the head with her tail to shut him up.

4. Only once did she delude herself into believing that humans could take care of themselves.

She never lets Eragon out of her sight again.

3. The last time she sees Thorn, on the eve of the final battle, he and Murtagh are going on a mission and she tells him to be careful, and to come back quickly, and that she would wait for him to return.

She waits until the day she dies.

2. She always knew that she would mother her race. It was her destiny, and the wind had whispered in in her ears since the day she hatched.

She just didn't expect motherhood to be so _trying_.

1. The day the war ended, she indulged in the Varden's celebrations, because the war was over and she could finally relax.

After much shouting, fifteen roast deer and seventeen barrels of beer later, she swore to never, ever indulge herself again.

But gods, something about human- made beer made the moon look absolutely beautiful, and she did enjoy nature, particularly when Thorn was involved.

She never would admit it, though. Dragons do have their pride.

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**Tada! There we go! Good? Bad? i personally liked it, but I'm prejudiced, 'cause I wrote it! I do love your feedback, though. Please review and offer some ideas!**

**Also, WSS- Thank you for completing my fic request!!! I love Vietnam!Roran!!! And I'm working on child!Galbatorix as we speak... erm, type.**

**Next is Thorn!**


	4. Thorn

**Hello! I know that I've kinda dissapeared, but I had final exams all last week (grr) and several projects (grrrr), but now that's over, I'm a sophmore, and here's a new Ten Things You Never Knew! This is Thorn, and I based his character on wildskysong's interpretation; as somewhat childish, a dreamer. **

**So, everyone, thanks for the reviews! Here's Thorn!**

**Disclaimer: I own a computer, an Internet connection, and a rather twisted mind, not Inheritance. **

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Ten Things You Never Knew

Thorn

10. When he hatches out of his shell to greet the partner-of-his-heart, he expects suprise, maybe, but love and affection.

He gets shock and horror, and for months he thinks he isn't good enough, and that Murtagh would rather have another dragon for a partner.

It is not until Murtagh whacks him on the nose and tells him that he would never want a different dragon that Thorn understands.

9. He will always be proud of the missing part of his tail, because it shows that he is brave and strong.

He never mentions this to Saphira, though, because she will just scoff at him and mutter something about "males and their battle scars."

8. He doesn't blame Galbatorix for imprisoning him. After all, he never knew anything different, and freedom was something that he could grasp.

7. He most definately blamed Galbatorix for Murtagh's enslavement, however, and in the final battle, it felt simply _wonderful_ to dig his talons into Shruikan's hide and watch Galbatorix writhe.

6. He never liked Nasuada, even though Murtagh was clearly fond of her.

The first time he met her, she hit him across the nose with a sword and called him a great dirty lizard.

In retrospect, he probably shouldn't have waited until night to fly out and meet the object of Murtagh's affections. But really, how was he supposed to know that she bathed at night?

5. As a dragon, he never really held much stock in looks alone. Battle scars, bravery, and hunting skills mattered, not looks.

But as he gazed at Saphira, sleeping curled up in the shadows of a ruined castle, he swears that he has never seen anything more beautiful.

4. Offspring weren't in his thoughts much. That was a job for females to worry about, and he was having too much fun expierencing the world to think about eggs and hatchlings.

With these thoughts in mind, he looks down at the glistening clutch of eggs that are _his_ and wonders how, in the name of the Great-First-Dragon, he managed to become a father.

3. He was never a practical dragon. He enjoyed dreaming, imagining new wonders to discover, and fantastic adventures with Murtagh.

As he stands over the crumpled body of his Rider, who gasps for air through ruined lungs, he dares to dream one last time.

When Eragon arrives, crackling with magic, he relaxes, just a little, and knows that this dream will come true.

2. He always knew, deep down in his Heart of Hearts, that he would die protecting those he loved.

But as the lay dying, Murtagh already gone, he never imagined that it would come so _soon _and that he wouldn't get to see his hatchlings grow up.

1. He made a promise, once, to the dragoness whom he loved.

_I will wait for you _he promised.

Three hundred and four years, twenty-three days after his death, that promise is fufilled, and he flies into the Lands of the Dead with his dragoness at his side.

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**All done! Did you like it? If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a review or a PM. Review anyway, please!**


	5. Arya

**Hello! I return! Since I don't feel like writing a long note, this is Arya!**

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Ten Things You Never Knew

Arya

10. The moring before she lost Faolin, she had looked up and noticed that the clouds were black against the sky and her father's white crow was imprinted against the sky, cawing "Wryda, wyrda!" over and over.

She should have known that the day would end badly.

9. When she was a child, she remembers asking her mother a simple question.

"Do you love me?"

Years later, she leaves her mother standing in the rain, shocked, and joins the Varden. She never did recieve an answer.

8. She secretly enjoyed her tasks as egg- carrier. Her favorite thing to do was rub the egg soothingly, singing in the ancient language.

She dearly wished that the dragon had chosen her.

7. Her first impression of Eragon was a prince from the old tales, dashing, brave, and brilliant.

She still thinks that, but he will never know.

6. Murtagh was not her favorite person. He was to steeped in the darkness, too wild, too fierce.

After her wedding, her attitude lightened, if only a little. Anyone who could withstand a naked Roran for that long and escape with only minor trauma was to be admired.

5. She never picked another Black Morning Glory after Faolin died. It was too painful.

4. Her greatest desire was to have a child of her own, but she was terrified that she would be a horrible mother.

It took several gentle words from Eragon and the kicking of her unborn son to convince her that she would be a good mother.

After all, she had the perfect example of what not to do.

3. She loved Eragon not because of his bravery, his deeds, or his looks. She loved Eragon for his heart.

2. She remembers telling Eragon and all her friends that she will return. With a kiss to Eragon and an "I love you," she ran off to the city, ready to do her duty.

She never imagined that her duty would be to die.

1. After her death, she argued with Angvard and refused to step through the gates. "I have a husband still living." She said. "And a son."

Angvard threatened to wipe her mind of all the memories she had.

She threatened to gut him and drag him to the realm of mortals, where he could die.

The Lord of Death decided to let her wait for her husband, and she did.

What Angvard didn't know was that she was bluffing. She wouldn't bother dragging him back to the realms of the mortals. There were plenty of people inside the Lands of the Dead to help her contain him anyway.

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**All done! Did you like it? If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a review or a PM. Review anyway, please!**


	6. Nasuada

**Hello! I return! Since I don't feel like writing a long note, this is Nasuada!**

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Ten Things You Never Knew

Nasuada

10. Her first memory is of fields, wild, windswept, with the scent of charred flesh and spilt blood in her nose.

That can't be right, because there are no fields in Fathen Dur and there hasn't been a battle inside the city in centuries.

9. She never touched the sapphire egg when the elf-woman bore it into the city and when Father tried to make her, she refused.

(She didn't want to be even more different from her dwarf friends, and no dragon ever hatched from a dwarf)

8. She didn't find Shades all that frightening. After all, she learned to fear Dragon Riders far more.

7. The first time she heard of Murtagh, she was eleven years old, stubborn, and eavsdropping on her father's war council.

She thought that the young son of Morzan sounded lonely, not dangerous. After all, he was her age, an orphan, and rejected because of who his sire was.

6. She then resolved to become his friend should she ever meet him.

5. When she did meet Murtagh, she is startled by how young he looks.

And then she sees his eyes, and her suprise fades. His eyes, like hers, are far too old.

4. She always knew that the Council would choose her to fill her father's place. She is smart, battle- tested, and knows the Varden like she knows herself.

It gives her great pleasure to show the Council, too. They thought she was easily manipulated, and the look on Jormundor's face (half-laughter, half- exasperation) is priceless.

3. When Murtagh was taken, she refused to cry. (She had enough to mourn, and Murtagh was strong, he would survive)

When Murtagh was enslaved, she had no tears to cry. (The Battle had been long, too long, and its toll was setting in. She was simply too shocked to cry)

When he came back, she hit him on the face and cried in her tent. (But they were tears of joy, of relief, because he was _back_)

When he asks her to marry him, she weeps openly and half- strangles him to death.

2. The Final Battle tested her to the limits of her strength and her intelligence. She almost failed, and then she remembered all who looked to her, and she pushed on, and the walls of Uru' baen came down.

1. Her favorite place is the fields and the plains, because of the memories, and the peace.

She likes the sea, too, but Murtagh always brings her back to the plains in the autumn time. It feels like home.

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**All done! Did you like it? If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a review or a PM. Review anyway, please! Brom is next!**


	7. Katrina

10. The first time she saw Roran, he was ten and she was eight and she was all prim and proper in a dress and he was rolling about in the muck like a pig.

Her father glared ice at him and pulled her away by the hand. Later he looked for her scorn, which she gladly gave, eager to please. There was nothing to like in the dirty, filthy farmboy. He was a good-for-nothing and wouldn't amount to anything, just like his father.

Secretly, though, she longed to roll around in the mud with him, to wrestle and yell and be wild.

9. She never told her father that, though, and she regrets it immensely, because maybe then he would have let her marry Roran and he would still be alive.

8. When Roran agreed to marry her, she was pleased and faintly amused that she had to threaten him into doing it. She loved Roran deeply and admired his bravery and courage, but honestly, he was such a shy farmboy at times.

7. When her father betrayed Carvahall to the Ra' zac, she was outraged. He betrayed the entire village over Roran and then made her a captive _after _he disowned her.

She could not bring herself to forgive him, and refused to acknowledge him as family from there on after. She even convinced herself to hate him.

6. She didn't know why, then, she cried in Roran's arms after Eragon told her that Sloan had been killed.

5. At her wedding, she was grateful for Lady Nasuada's support and she felt simply grand in the flowing dress, like a lady at the King's court.

Honestly, though, she would have been just fine in her plain tunic and leggings.

4. Leaving Roran to have her child was the hardest decision she ever made. She was at loathe to be parted with him after the whole Ra' zac ordeal, and she could think of no safer place than with Roran.

And then she felt the life stirring in her belly, so tiny and fragile, and she knew she was making the right choice.

3. During the long hours of childbirth, she alternated between loving and hating Roran.

She loved him because of the life he instilled in her, and their offspring, and how sweet he was, and how she could feel him in her mind, worrying himself into knots.

But hellfire, did he have to get her pregnant with _twins_?

2. After the war ends, she fully expects to live in the capital, a part of the new court system, or to go back to Carvahall and settle down, farming away the land.

What she does not expect is to find Roran, standing alone in a hallway, cradling something in his hands.

"What's wrong, Roran?"

Shyly, he turns to her and presents her with a rich velvet crown.

"Katrina, will you be my Queen?"

And she accepts, suddenly one of the most powerful people in the new kingdom. She still keeps a farm, though. She does have her expectations.

1. She never regrets falling in love with Roran, the dirty, smelly farmboy who wrestled in the mud. She regrets hating her father, sometimes, and agreeing to allow her children to play with rocks in the castle, and she deeply regrets dying first, but she never regrets Roran.

So when he comes to her, the old man falling away and becoming young again, she smiles and kisses him on the cheek.

"Welcome home."


	8. Roran

**Hey, everybody! Well, it's been a long, long time since you've heard from me, and if you read my friend wildskysong, you might know why. If not, all you need to know is that I was very, very sick for a while there, but now I'm mostly better! So, I'm going to be restarting my stuff, namely this and Wanderer, which I have neglected. Please, if you have any requests for stories, for Scientia, please let me know! I'm eager for work!**

**Thanks!**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Inheritance. (WSS does!)**

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Roran

10. When he's five years old, he's insanely jealous of his smaller cousin, and spends three years pretending Eragon doesn't exist.

Until he falls in the Spine and breaks his ankle and it is Eragon who runs all the way to Carvahall to bring Garrow and Gertrude.

9. His mother dies when he's old enough to remember her, but to his immense shame, she fades away after a few months, and he forgets all about her.

8. The moment he laid eyes on Katrina, he did not know that she would be the one he loved for the rest of his life.

He was far more concerned with pasting her with a mudball than love.

7. The decision to go to Therinsford was the hardest choice he'd ever made. He felt like he was abandoning his father, his cousin, everything he had ever known.

6. And when he raced back and found his father dead and his home destroyed, he shook with agony and cursed himself for his foolishness.

_I could have saved them, _he thinks, but he knows that he couldn't.

5. He's far more at home with the Varden than he ever was in Carvahall. He was raised by a farmer, but he didn't have it in his blood. His taste for adventure, his sense of purpose, was too great to ignore.

4. He led the Varden into Uru'baen with a face as still as stone, but inside he was quaking.

He had just received news that Katrina had given birth to twins, two little boys, and he was so afraid that he would fail them and that they would grow up in a world ruled by a madman that he was almost sick with fear.

3. He never intended to take on the Earl Tariku and his monstrous Halfling, but it just sort of happened, and then he was fighting for his life and the ground was spinning all around him and he was tossed side to side, but he fought on and finally, finally, stood victorious over his foe.

An hour later, he learned that Galbatorix was slain, and that they were free.

2. He didn't want to be King, either, but when Eragon slipped the crown on his head, it felt so _right_, and Roran rejoiced, because at last Alagaesia could live in peace.

1. He did not think that Katrina would die first. He was sure that he would, either by assassination, poison, illness, or plain old age, but for some reason he had things to do, and dying just never seemed to happen.

So, when he was one hundred and three, he fell asleep signing the order to fend off Urgals encroaching the northern cities and woke up in a forest, and Katrina leaped into his arms and smiled.

"Sorry." He told her. "I was busy."

And laughing, they walked into the afterlife.

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**So, I hope you enjoyed it! I'll get back into the pace of writing, I hope! Review, plzthx!**


	9. Galbatorix

**Okay, so we're gonna get into the pace of things, yes? Thank you to all the wonderful people who took the time to review this--It's really inspiring and awesome. Keep it up, guys!!**

**By popular demand, here is Galbatorix!! Yay!**

**Disclaimer- Nope, still not mine. **

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Galbatorix

10. He was the eldest of three children, living in the underbelly of Teirm. He scrapped and stole and fought with the best of the filthy beggars, because he took care of his siblings, and he loved them.

And then Taddeo and Matilda died, and he was alone, and he didn't really see a point to it all.

9. He met Verloran Starcatcher in the back alleys of Teirm, because the Rider tripped over the boy in pursuit of a known egg thief. He kept running, but that night, he came back and took Galbatorix to the inn, fed him, cleaned him, and gave him a place to stay.

Too bad that Galbatorix planned to rob him blind.

8. He was not supposed to touch a dragon egg. But he saw the little black egg sticking out of Verloran's saddlebag (the result of catching the thief), and he couldn't help himself. He stole the egg and fled, and by the time Verloran tracked him down, the tiny black egg hatched to reveal a tiny black dragon.

Needless to say, Galbatorix was incredibly pleased with himself, and Verloran found him cooing to the baby dragon.

7. He named his new heart-partner Jarnunvosk, after his dead mother, and together they were perfect. And when Verloran accepted him as his student, life was perfect.

6. He rose through the Rider ranks quickly, his natural talents far surpassing those of his peers. Within five years, he and Jarnunvosk were full-fledged members of the Order, the Keepers of the Law, no less, and the envy of all of their peers.

So when some awe-struck youth approached him, eager for adventure, he saw no problem in flying into the Urgal-infested north for the night. His powers would protect him.

5. And then he cradled Jarnunvosk in his arms, his heart torn to shreds, and he cursed himself for his gross overconfidence, and it was _their_ fault, the elders', because they had let him go and they didn't come when he shouted for them and--!

4. He killed Shruikan's original Rider at the moment of the dragon's hatching. The Rider was a thief, like himself, and had stolen the egg, so why shouldn't Galbatorix, an upholder of the law of the Order, punish him?

Shruikan was simply a bonus, a way to repair the gaping wound where his heart had been.

3. After the Fall (they got what they deserved, oh yes they did) he settles in the sinking city of Uru'baen not because he wants too, but because he _needs _to, because here it all started, the corruption, the Fall, and he must prevent that from ever happening to his Empire.

2. He does not particularly respect Eragon Shadeslayer. The boy is merely the catch to the glory of his she-dragon. He is a nuisance, a pest, and he's killed far too many of his valuable servants.

But when the boy and his she-dragon burst into the throne room, stained with Murtagh's blood, he can't help but admire the boy's sheer persistence.

He will be a valuable servant.

1. He lies on the ground, bleeding to death from the grievous wound inflicted by the boy, and he's not concerned with dying.

There is a mirror shard lying on the ground in the ruined throne room, and in it he sees his face. He is young and whole and blue-eyed, every inch the Keeper of the Law of the Riders, the good, innocent young man.

No, dying doesn't scare him.

But his reflection does.

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**Whaddya think? Good, bad, crap? Tell me! Also, who should I do next?**

**Thanks!**

**-Sam**


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